A blog trying to focus on all the nice things in life, those moments when everything turns out right. Finding the perfect fabric for that chart you love, the ideal sampler quote, just the right picture in all the 1000s of magazines you own. Meeting people who share your interests and obsessions and totally understand why you NEED that chart when you already have enough to last until you're 104
Today is my 14th Blogaversary, another year of blogging fun with our community.
So, here are the stats:
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14 years
1513 posts
711 followers
24,129 comments
2,309,094 pageviews
WOW
This time last year I was working on a selection of small to medium sized pieces and as predicted, they are all finishes!
Circle Cross - Art Nouveau Zodiac Tarot Cards - Finish
The Steady Thread - Tree of Life Temperature SAL - Finish Cottage Garden Samplings - The Swans - Finish Cottage Garden Samplings - Halloween Sampler - Finish
Cricket Collection -Spring - Finish The Primitive Hare - Hocus Pocus Cabinet - Finish
La Broderie - Quiet Hour Sampler - Finish
Cottage Garden Samplings - Partridge in a Pear Tree - Finish
This did slow down progress on my larger WIPs.
Chatelaine Gardens of London went from here last April:
and this is all that was added!
Mirabilia's Fairy Idyll grew from here:
to here:
Bothy Threads 12 Days of Christmas went from here:
to here:
I'm making good progress on my oldest WIP - Art Nouveau Head by Craft Collection. From here last April:
to here:
On the list of current projects this year I have:
The Steady Thread - Halloween Bookshelf
My own design Temperature Chart
Heart in Hand - Tiny Halloween Town
Susan Penny - Winter's View
Nora Corbett - Evanora
Annie Beez Folkart - 12 Days of Christmas Stockings
How about you? What's been your greatest achievement over the last year?
Finally, a Happy Birthday to my Blog's twin - Susan from Yellow Flower Meadow!
Today is my 11th Blogaversary! That's a great milestone to celebrate. So, here are the stats:
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11 years
1190 posts
699 followers
22,187 comments
1,474,390 pageviews
WOW
Last year I did a Ten Things Tag which several people joined in with, that was great fun. We seem to have reached a point with blogging where there's a hardcore of us still blogging and posting as well as people reading and those who post from time to time.
If you are struggling with keeping going, here's some advice:
Post when you can, a schedule helps for some people (me) Post when you have a finish
Post to link up with an event or linky party
NEVER apologise for it "being a long time since I posted"! If you're not up to writing much, just post a picture with the name of the designer.
Most of us now follow blogs via a Reader such as Feedly or by email so we know when a new post appears and it's always a delight to see someone in my Reader who I haven't seen for a while.
This time last year I was rotating between a number of larger designs, having spent the previous year focusing on my Discworld Mappe.
Chatelaine Gardens of London went from here last April:
to here:
Not a lot of progress to be honest!
My Spooky conversion of CCN's Main Street went from here:
to here:
Mirabilia's Fairy Idyll saw her skirt grow and grow from here:
to here:
Bothy Threads 12 Days of Christmas went from here:
and gained two more days to here:
But the most progress has to be from Carriage House Samplings' Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow which was here last April:
And is now my focus piece and looks like this:
With this bit added on the side!
Lots of bats to be added to Block 4 will hopefully see that completed this month.
And now a little teaser for my FFO Gallery post in two days time:
Finally, a Happy Birthday to my Blog's twin - Susan from Yellow Flower Meadow!
It's my Tenth Blogaversary! How the time flies. Unfortunately I couldn't find a photo of me aged 10. I was still in Primary School and had a very nice teacher but apparently we didn't do any Summer trips. Or if we did, there is no photographic evidence. So we have a Happy Frog instead. He is a Lord a'Leaping from Just Nan's 12 Days of Christmas sampler.
So, here are the stats:
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10 years
1082 posts
674 followers
21,157 comments
1,326,785 pageviews
WOW
I thought it would be fun to do a Ten Things Tag for my Tenth Blogaversary. I'll type the list out at the end and include a Mr. Linky if you want to join in on your Blog.
1. The tenth project you completed:
Flowers by Sue Cook.
From Cross Stitch Collection June 1994
Stitched on 14 count aida.
This was a series of four designed by Sue Cook. I stitched all four of them and display them together in Spring or Summer.
I was working on my Dark Alphabet, which I did complete and display every Halloween.
3. The tenth blog in your blog roll (or your reader or however you follow blogs)
The tenth blog in my sidebar is currently The Spinster Stitcher. Dear Coni, never fails to make me smile although I miss little Stewie and his smoking jacket. Warning - the blog can be quite hard-hitting as she waits for her kidney transplant.
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The tenth blog is my Feedly Reader is currently Life Outside the Washing Basket. Roni (hey that rhymes with Coni!) is a newer blog for me but I'm enjoying her Lockdown SAL and her entries for my various SALs and Hops.
4. A designer you have stitched more than ten designs
I was hoping to find one that I had stitched exactly ten designs from and I did. If you include Round Robin excerpts. I do like the style of this designer, it's quite distinctive and they make beautiful ornaments. One day I will stitch an entire sampler from The Sweetheart Tree!
5. A project that took/is taking more than ten years to complete
I've been gradually adding my older WIPs to my WIPocalypse list and this year it's the turn of my Ernie Bishop NOEL letters. I only have the hardanger to do now. These are actually over 20 years in the making - 2 x 10
6. A design on the theme of "ten"
JBW - Ten Lords A-Leaping 12 Days of Christmas
It has to be the Tenth Day of Christmas from my favourite Christmas theme - the 12 Days of Christmas
7. The tenth colour on your current project. Do you use this colour a lot?
My current project is Bothy Thread's 12 Days of Christmas (told you that I enjoy that theme!) and the tenth colour on my shade card is White. Yes, I use White quite a lot, almost every project has some white in it. Black is probably the only colour I have used more than White. In my People's Choice post for April, you can see a project which is almost completely stitched in White.
Here's my Bothy Thread's design at the moment:
stitched on 32 count blue-grey linen
The plan is to finish that block this month as it was called for WIPGO.
8. Your tenth WIP for WIPocalypse, WIPGO or whatever list you make
My tenth WIPcalypse project is the Stoney Creek 12 Days of Christmas designs. I am stitching one per month.
My tenth WIPGO project is Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow, I completed one block last month and have another to do at some point this year. I would love to have three or four blocks stitched by the end of the year.
stitched over 1 on 25 count Cassia Rose from Chromatic Alchemy
9. Your tenth finish this year (or last year if you haven't finished ten so far this year)
Miss Witchy Mouse was my tenth finish, she is on the left with the bat motif on her side.
10. How has your stitching style changed in the last ten years?
Looking back to 2011, I completed 77 things! Many of them smalls. I made a lot of cards and small gifts for other people. Now I tend to stitch for myself and focus on much larger projects. My big finish for 2011 was this one:
Mirabilia - Bluebeard's Mermaid
And I'm currently stitching a Mirabilia, so I guess my tastes haven't changed that much at all!
Fairy Idyll - stitched on 32 count Vineyard Murano from Crafty Kitten
Here are the questions so you can copy and paste if you want to join in:
1. The tenth project you completed
2. The tenth blog post you made
3. The tenth blog in your blog roll (or your reader or however you follow blogs)
4. A designer you have stitched more than ten designs
5. A project that took/is taking more than ten years to complete
6. A design on the theme of "ten"
7. The tenth colour on your current project. Do you use this colour a lot? 8. Your tenth WIP for WIPocalypse, WIPGO or whatever list you make
9. Your tenth finish this year (or last year if you haven't finished ten so far this year)
10. How has your stitching style changed in the last ten years?
And here is the Linky so we can all come and visit:
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Finally, a very Happy Birthday to my Blogaversary Twin - Susan Yellow Flower Meadow! Hope you had a happy, stitchy day.
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